A Confused Man of Action
by Resacon1990
Summary: "What do you want?" Joey fought back the urge to gather the brunet in his arms as he heard that voice again, the voice that cut him to the quick, and tore his heart with every breath. His eyes met Setos "I want you." Rated T for swearing.


******Based on this photo: http : / www . facebook . com / photo . php?fbid= 3496156373989&set =o .19003621428&type = 1&theater**

**I love the Puppyshipping Groups :D**

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The loud crash followed by peals of laughter was what made Seto finally look up from where he was sitting at the back of his english class

He raised an eyebrow at the commotion in front of him, watching as the class idiots fell all over each other, laughing maniacally. God, he hated this class more than anything.

"Hey Seto!"

The brunet looked up in time to see Yami standing over him, a huge grin on his face as he slipped into the seat beside him. Seto rolled his eyes but mumbled something that sounded like "morning" under his breath then returned his attention to the book in his hand. Yami let out a huff before leaning over to see just what it was the other boy was reading.

"The Odyssey? Really Seto?"

"Its a good book."

"More like a good torture method," a new voice popped up and the two turned to see Bakura and Ryou standing over them, the previous having been the one to speak. "Not even the teacher could get me to read that last year. How the bloody hell can you read it willingly?"

"Its a good book!" Ryou piped up, joining Seto before dragging out his own book. "But I prefer The Theban Plays instead."

Almost instantly the brunet and white haired male were lost in their discussion of greek literature, leaving the other two to exchange disgruntled gazes before watching the others make their way over, sliding into seats around the four.

"Morning guys!" Joey and Tristan both perked up as they slid into their seats, getting happy responses in return. It was a normal day for the group, all of them joining Seto, who normally got their first, in the back of the class then spending the time it took for the teacher to turn up, discussing things between each other. Of course though, every normal day, there always had to be something unusual that happens, no matter how _normal _it was supposed to be.

"TRISTAN! GIVE IT BACK!"

Joeys voice screamed out through the classroom, making everyone freeze and both Seto and Ryou look up from where they'd been deep in conversation. They were all met with the sight of Tristan holding a book high above Joeys head, a huge grin on his face as he stood on his desk watching the blond scramble around, trying to desperately grab said book.

"Whhhhy?" Tristan taunted, "Is it ya diary Joey?"

"Shut up! Diaries are for girls!"

"So it _is _a diary!"

"I'm not a girl! Now give it back!"

Seto felt his eyes roll before had began to turn back to Ryou, his mind already running over to where their conversation had been rudely interrupted, but not before he watched in stunned surprise with everyone else as Joey suddenly tackled Tristan's legs, sending the boy crashing into a bunch of other desks then to the ground with a painful cry. Without even looking remorseful, Joey stepped over and pulled the book out of Tristans hands, muttering something under his breath.

Yep, just another abnormal thing in a normal day.

It wasn't until after school, when everyone had packed up, besides Seto who always left last due to not wanting to get caught in the traffic of all the nutcase students, did the incident resurface in Setos mind when he leant down from where he was sitting to pick up a piece of paper that fell off his desk. After successfully grabbing it, the brunet began to rise back up until he caught a small flash of colour just in front of him.

The same book from this morning, the one that Joey had almost pummeled his friend for.

Quietly the brunet slipped out of his seat and wandered over to where the book was lying on the ground, looking rather lonely. He took a quick glance around to make sure no one was in the area before he squatted down and ran his fingers over the cover, a small almost pout on his lips. Without thinking, he scooped it up and held it in front of his face.

"Property of Joey Wheeler…" he muttered under his breath as he read the words engraved on the bottom half of the back cover. Sighing, he pulled the book into his body like how a librarian would before throwing his bag over his shoulder and walking out of the class, determined to find the blond. Especially considering how desperate Joey appeared before when Tristan had taken the book.

With a frown Seto glanced down at the book in his hands, wondering what exactly was in it to make the blond overreact so much towards his best friend. With only taking a moment to briefly wonder if opening the book and reading its contents would be incredibly rude and a huge intrusion in to Joeys privacy, Seto pulled it away from his chest and flicked it open onto a random page.

_Dear Diary-_

Setos eyes just about bulged out of his sockets, Joey had a diary?

_-I have a question. Is it wrong to like someone of the same gender? I mean, everyone in my group does, and I mean _everyone. _Except maybe a couple like the girls, and the Kaibas. Funny that I now consider the Kaibas as part of the group. Well, not Mokie. He always has. But Seto, Seto Kaiba! As part of our group! I never thought he would willingly join the 'nerd herd' or 'geek patrol'. Not that he had much choice though, what with Yami being the obsessive and loyal cousin, and Yug being the crazy, but still adorable boyfriend of the obsessive loyal cousin! And apparently Mokie was really on his case as well-_

It was times like this that Seto really did wonder if his family were insane as he nodded mentally to what Joey had written in his usual untidy scrawl.

_-But anyway, going on about Setos rather unwilling entry to our group isn't solving my problem. Even though he's part of it. See, I think its because of Seto that I might like the same gender. I mean have you seen that hair? God, its like some sort of chocolate river. And his eyes… I swear I could get lost in those blue depths anyway. They just feel like they're looking at you, while right through you. Like he can see into my soul or something. And his body… need I say god must have liked someone! What kind of guy has those arms! I would do anything just to have those wrapped around me, and those long, elegant fingers on my skin, well my flushed, incredibly turned on skin-_

Seto snapped the book closed and pulled it back against his chest, feeling his face beginning to heat up. He could almost tell what Joey seemed to be implying, but he sure as hell wasn't going to continue reading and divulge into even more of Joeys secrets. Knowing he was possibly gay, and that Seto himself might be the reason was enough for one day.

"Seto?"

Glancing up at his name, the brunet saw his, as Joey put it, obsessive but loyal cousin walking towards him, a small frown on his face. Taking a quick moment to look around, Seto realised he'd long since left the school grounds and was walking down the street the Kame Game Shop resided on. Fighting the urge to flush slightly, Seto turned back to the approaching boy.

"Yami."

"You alright? You seem kinda spaced out," Yami asked as he stood in front of his cousin, looking him up and down with concern. Seto raised an eyebrow and reached out to give him a good natured shoved which Yami grinned at. It wasn't often Seto touched anyone in anyway, friendly or not.

"Fine, just wondering where Wheeler is."

"Oh? Why?"

Seto just gestured at the book he seemed to be clutching as an answer. Yami's gaze travelled down before his eyes suddenly bugged out.

"Where did you get that?" he almost screeched, making Seto roll his eyes at the over dramatic display of disbelief.

"It fell out of his bag and I picked it up. I was just going to return it but…" Almost reluctantly, Seto began to hold it out to Yami but froze when a hand came out of nowhere and yanked it away from him, a bit too viciously though and it made Seto stumble forward a bit, only stopped when Yami grabbed his elbow. Pulling himself away, Seto turned to look at the third person, fury evident in his stance.

"Where the hell did you get this?" An angry voice cut Seto off before he could even get a word out and he found himself staring at an enraged Joey Wheeler.

A very attractive Joey Wheeler.

Seto stayed silent as he looked over at the blond, his eyes trailing over the boys sharp featured face, the way his teeth where nibbling on his bottom lip as he waited for an answer, the way his eyes seemed huge with innocence as Joey appeared to try make himself smaller at the same time as larger at seeing the very pissed off Seto, the way his arms practically hid the book as he held it tightly to his chest, the way his body was already in an elegant half-ass battle stance, ruining the original innocent look, the way there was that small dotting of red glowing on his cheeks from embarrassment.

He looked-

"It fell out of your bag, and Seto was just returning it." Yami's voice interrupted Setos train of thought, shocking the brunet back to reality. With a small confused look, the blond returned to looking back at Seto.

"Really? You were just going to give it back?" he asked, his voice filled with the confusion that matched the emotion on his face.

Seto gazed back at the boy, his heart racing at a hundred miles per hour as their eyes met, and he swore that he could just lean down… just lean down that tiny bit and their lips-

"I-I have to go!" Seto suddenly cried out as he turned on his heel and sprinted away, ignorant of the calls from the two behind him.

…

With a disheartened sigh, Seto closed his locker with a _crash _and placed his forehead on the cooling metal. He was quietly hating the fact that it was only Thursday when the sound of footsteps approached him.

"Headache?"

"Maybe now you're here," Seto muttered as he pulled away, glancing across at the two grinning yamis. He felt the ultimate urge to reach out and deck Bakura, just to wipe that stupid smirk off his goddamn face, no matter how much it would hurt Ryou if he found out that one of his best friends hurt his boyfriend. Even as he began to wonder what type of excuses he could come up with, ranging from "there was a bug on his face, a really _big _bug!" too "he made a sex joke about you" which wouldn't be unusual, Yami stepped forward between them.

"Do you guys ever get along?" the dark to Yugi's light asked, making Seto want to pull a childish face and poke his tongue out.

"Nuh uh," Bakura laughed, reaching out and ruffling Setos hair, only to laugh even more when the brunet slapped his hand. "Seto here just can't stand moi!"

"You're not french," Seto snapped bitterly, glaring at the white-haired boy.

"And you're not canadian!"

Both Seto and Yami froze and turned to look at Bakura, their faces twisted up into looks that practically screamed "What. The. Hell." before the other dark burst out laughing, grinning madly as he hunched over in the middle of the corridor.

"Yami, you need to get yourself some new friends," Seto sighed as he watched the cackling lunatic from beside his cousin.

"I couldn't agree more," Yami agreed, "Although he's just a freak."

"Hey! I ain't no freak!"

"I'm going to slap him with a dictionary in a minute," Seto muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes as he tried to ignore the amount of horrible grammar the white-haired dark had just sprouted from that idiotic head of his. Bakura just sniggered and waltzed to them, a smirk on his face.

"You just need to get laid!"

"W-What!"

Setos could just about feel his mouth dragging along the ground by now, it was open that wide.

"You're catching flies," Bakura observed, shutting Setos mouth by putting a finger under his chin and pushing up before trundling along behind Yami. "And anyway Priest, its true!" He shot Seto a grin as the brunet fell into step beside him and Yami. "I'm sure Pharaoh here agrees!"

Yami sighed and shot Seto a sympathetic look as he bopped Bakura on the head at the same time as opening the doors that revealed the rest of the group lounging around underneath one of the trees out front of the school. "Shut up 'Kura."

Seto laughed when Yami used the Thief Kings pet name, making the white-haired boy flush with both embarrassment and anger while he rubbed his head.

"Ow, that hurt ya know!" Once again Seto resisted the urge to find a dictionary. Sighing, he just continued to walk with Yami towards the others, readjusting the books he was holding into one arm while slipping the other into his pocket, rolling the shoulder as well to make sure his bag was settled on his back properly.

Although both of the relatives groaned when Bakura bounced back in between them.

"Hey! I heard Joeys single at the moment! Maybe you could hit that up!"

Unfortunately both darks didn't see Seto freeze and stay in place as they kept walking, beginning to argue between each other about the idea of Seto really going and getting laid by Joey… or the other way around. Really, they were just discussing who would be the dominant one, which thankfully stopped when Seto didn't comment on either of their opinions.

"Hey Seto?" Yami asked, turning around and rushing back to his friend once he spotted him back aways. "You alright?"

Besides the fact he was having intense images about just _what _he could be doing if Bakura's idea could be true, Seto was fine, just utterly speechless. Giving a very jerky nod towards Yami was his way of showing so.

"Huh, seems like the cats got the Priests tongue," Bakura mused, tapping his chin with his finger. "Which is odd, normally cats absolutely _looooove _you."

"Shut up 'Kury," Seto snarled, giving him a death glare. Bakura's eyes narrowed at the mocking name and he stepped forward, grabbing Setos collar and dragging him close.

"Say that again, I dare y-"

"Seto! You read it didn't you!" Yami suddenly interrupted, throwing Bakura off his cousin and taking his place instead. "You read the diary! Thats why, you're actually thinking over what Bakura said! Aren't you!" With the crazed look in the darks eyes, Seto knew he should speak the truth.

"I just got curious and now…" he trailed off before quickly finishing when Yami shook him roughly, "Now I can't get the mutt out of my head. I mean when I saw him yesterday, I just… I noticed him I guess. I noticed him as more than just the dumb blond mutt that I unfortunately get to be friends with."

"Unfortunately… yeah right…" Bakura mumbled as he climbed up from where Yami had accidentally thrown him to the ground. Rolling his eyes, Yami turned his attention back to Seto.

"So you like him?"

"Maybe?"

"Because you know he's single right?" Yami sighed as he pulled away, dropping his hands by his sides as the three of them seemed to make a triangle shape. Seto stood in shock when he realised that Yami appeared to be almost… encouraging him. "Joey's been single for a while-"

"Why are ya guys talking bout me being single?" Joey suddenly questioned as he approached the trio, everyone else lagging behind but still within ear shot. Yami almost yelped and whirled around, waving his hands as if to ward off the blond.

"No reason!" he chuckled, obviously horrible at lying. Yugi, who'd just reached Joeys side raised an eyebrow at his boyfriend, clearly giving him the look that said, "I'll let you get away with it now, but tell me later or I swear you will get no sex for a week, or two, or possibly three and you will not be getting any sort of relief whatsoever! CHORES FOREVER" in a weird sort of way. Nonetheless, Yami still choked back the lump in his throat and gave a Joey a forced grin. "No reason at all!"

"Oh really?" Joey smiled and moved to stand by the fidgeting, and still stunned Seto. After giving the brunet a nudge that didn't get him killed, the blond continued. "Does Mr Moneybags here want to date me or something?"

It was clearly a joke and everyone, but Bakura who was instantly punched in the face by Yami when he opened his big mouth to reply, realised that. But Seto couldn't help but wonder what would happen if he said yes. If he suddenly leaned down and snogged the hell out of the gorgeous blond standing beside him. The blond that was staring up at him with those golden orbs that screamed innocence while the smug smile cried out devilish.

It was only when the slight shocked voice from who knows who called his name did Seto realise he'd slowly been leaning in to the blond, and that everyone was starting to catch on to what was happening.

"Ah… I-I-" he didn't even finish his sentence before he stumbled back and began hurrying off, desperate to keep the red flush from attacking his face.

"I thought you were coming to the arcade!" Bakura yelled, ignorant of Yamis hisses to shut up and the fact the ex-pharaohs fist was once again rising. "I BET'CHA YA'RA SCARDY CAT!"

Bakura let out a cry as a dictionary smashed him in the side of the head.

…

"Come on Seto! Even you have to be happy that its friday!" Joey cried as he nudged the stoic brunet sitting on the couch beside him. With a snort, Seto rolled his eyes and pushed him off the furniture, swinging his legs up so the blond couldn't attempt to claim his seat back.

"I would be, if my house-"

"Mansion," the blond corrected.

"-hadn't been infested by half crazed morons who I swear are trying to corrupt my brother."

Joey grinned as he climbed up off the floor, using the time to stretch his back before plopping back down on his seat, not caring that he as sitting on Setos legs. The brunet didn't mind too much either though, the blond was surprisingly light.

"Sorry to disappoint you Seto, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't just us that corrupted Mokie."

The brunet was about to retort when suddenly the walls began thumping, and Tea, Serenity and Dukes voices began to ring out through the halls, singing "U and Ur Hand" by Pink, followed shortly by Tristan screaming "Be my hand Duke!" and a round of laughter. Seto just raised an eyebrow in Joeys direction who blushed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well… maybe it was mainly us but-"

He was cut off as the music changed to a rather loud ringing of "The Bad Touch" followed shortly by everyone who wasn't Yugi, Ryou or the two on the couch screaming out the lyrics at the top of their lungs. With a loud groan, Seto reached out and grabbed one of the pillows that'd been thrown off the couch when they'd sat down, and shoved it over his face.

"Why god! Why!" he screamed into the pillow, the words not being muffled enough for Joey not to hear them. With a annoyed grunt, Seto smacked the blond in the back of the head with the pillow as the boy burst out laughing, attracting the attention of the lights mentioned before who were playing a game of chess on the lounge floor. With a roll of their eyes, the two decided to try and ignore the horrible screeching ringing through the halls and the fighting pair on the couch.

Of course, fighting in a small area like the couch was easily going to end up in disaster and it was within seconds that Seto was somehow straddling Joey with their chests pressed against one another, and Setos hands grasping Joeys wrists on either side of his head.

Both of their breaths hitched in their throats as they made eye contact.

It was Setos first instinct to lean in slightly, making their noses touch as their eyes stayed connected and he felt his heart flutter as Joeys eyes began to slowly slip shut… his head moving up to meet his…

"TRUTH OR DARE TIME!" Bakura's untimely scream echoed through the room, making the two on the couch freeze in shock before Seto suddenly realised what was happening.

Without thinking, Seto instantly sat up, making Joey cry out as the brunet awkwardly tried to get balanced on the others body, leading him to slam a palm into Joeys hip and put too much of his weight on Joeys crotch… that a red Seto only just realised he'd been sitting on. The blond, unaware that there was a person on him from the haze of pain, began to curl in on himself, unfortunately making Seto fly forward from the knees slamming into his back, leaving him to smash his head into Joeys, making them both cry out, before suddenly his thighs were on either side of Joeys face and he was tipping over the edge of the sofa and landing unpleasantly on his head.

Meanwhile, everyone else burst out laughing.

"What the hell Seto!" Joey cried out from where he was withering in pain on the couch. With a groan, Seto managed to struggle into a sitting position and clutched his head, a headache beginning to rear its ugly head.

"Stupid 'Kury…"

It was over an hour later when everyone had finally stopped teasing the two. Ryou and Yugi, who had witnessed everything, and their darks, who by default had in a way witnessed everything, had taken care of the poor victims, Joey being treated carefully by the lights and Seto being tortured by the darks, before pushing them back into the lounge to continue with the game of Truth or Dare that Bakura really wanted to play.

"Hey Seto? Just wanted to say sorry for invading your house," Yugi suddenly piped up as everyone tried hard to ignore Duke and Tristan who'd been dared by a cackling Mokuba, much to Setos horror, to take each others clothes off with only their teeth. Seto gave Yugi a very timid smile, his head still throbbing although not to much from the head butt but more from the fact he could barely keep up with how fast his brain was going.

"Its alright Yug."

"None of us can really be bothered going home before the school dance tomorrow, thats all."

"Don't bother explaining."

"You alri-"

"Ask me that and I will have to kill you."

Yugi fell silent but gave Seto a smile and reached around Yami to pat his head slightly, and Seto had to admit that it felt nice when Yugi rubbed his fingers in relieving some of the pressure of the headache. Sighing, he turned his attention back to the game when he heard a successful cry, and saw Duke and Tristan sitting in their boxes grinning madly.

The horror.

"Alright! You guys turn!" Yami called to the others. They gave brisk nods before beginning to whisper to each other before grinning at Bakura.

"We dare Bakura to drink out of the toilet!" they chimed together, watching as Bakura's face paled before he smirked.

"Fine." He was gone and back within seconds, his face twisted up in disgust as water dripped off his face. Luckily he was holding a towel and was about to wipe it off when the others spoke up again.

"Then kiss Ryou!"

The younger, smaller white-haired boys scream followed by everyones laughter as Ryou was molested by a toilet water soaked Thief King was enough to make Setos headache skyrocket into an almost migraine, even though he too found it oddly hilarious. And when Ryou decked Bakura, it seriously made his night as he just about snapped in half from hunching over in his laughter.

"Bakura's turn!"

Those two words were enough to make Seto freeze as he looked up to see Bakura's brown eyes looking straight at him, the devilish smirk on his face as he nodded in Setos direction.

"Truth or Dare, Seto." The way he said the brunets name made said brunet shiver.

He quickly thought over the possibilities of what Bakura was going to do. If it was a dare, it was going to be a highly embarrassing, possibly illegal dare that made Seto either want to crawl in a hole and die, or pay some person _a lot _of money at some point. Or it was going to be some sort of horribly personal question that would lead in the same consequences as the dare.

"Dare."

Damn, the headache must be making his mouth spurt out stupid answers!

"Kiss Wheeler."

There was a sudden heavy silence in the room, and Joey let out a tiny squeak as his name was mentioned. Almost instantly, Ryou, Yugi and Yami were holding their breath as they waited for Seto to explode at the smug, but still slightly frightened looking Bakura. But it was less than a second later that Seto let out a sigh and mumbled something like "Stupid 'Kury" under his breath before turning to the blond sitting on his right.

Without waiting any longer, Seto leaned in and placed a small kiss on Joeys cheek, determined not to put it anywhere else until he heard Joeys cute little gasp as Setos soft lips made contact with his skin.

Almost instantly, Seto had the urge to grab the blond and ravish him right then and there in front of everyone, audience be damned. And he almost did as Joey turned to look at him just as he was pulling away, making their noses bump against each other and making them freeze, their eyes locking once again. Swallowing thickly, Seto began to once again lean in even more, not seeing the excited looks that everyone else was sporting around the room until…

Dear god! What was he thinking!

Pulling away, Seto quickly got to his feet, wincing as his headache viciously attacked him, making him sway in the air before he turned and bailed for the third time in three days, away from the blond who stared after him.

…

"I can't believe we're going in a limo!" Tea squealed as she and Serenity hopped up and down in their ball dresses, both of them giggling like mad. Around them, the boys all rolled their eyes and exchanged exasperated glances. The girls had been at it all day, crying out as everyone changed into their ball outfits, laughing as Mokuba came wandering towards his brother complaining that the pants were too short again, gushing over Seto as he sat beside his brother and actually _sewed _before fussing over his brother much like a mother would, grinning madly when they saw Joeys infatuated look as he stared at Seto mothering Mokuba, fangirling when Bakura called a blushing Ryou beautiful, and all round driving everyone insane.

Yami sighed and leaned against the side of the car as he waited for the girls latest melt down to finish, before glancing over to Yugi who was standing beside the impeccable looking Mokuba, thanks to Seto. "Where do you reckon 'Kura and Seto are?"

Yugi just shrugged his shoulders and wandered over, leaning against his Yami while watching the girls. "I don't know, probably mucking round. You know how much the two didn't want to go." With a frown Yugi looked up at him. "You didn't either, so I'm surprised you're not with them."

"Have you realised how different we all look considering we're all wearing the same type of clothes?" Joey suddenly asked as he slumped over to them, earning raised eyebrows. "I mean look! We're all wearing the suits with all the fancy crap, but the only difference is that you guys have purple ties, I have a red one, Bakura and Ryou have black ones, Mokuba has a orange one, Duke and Tris' have…" he glanced over and rolled his eyes before turning back, "Well currently none but see! And we don't know what one Seto has, probably blue after his blue eyes."

"Like you and red eyes?"

"Shuddup."

"Well look! There is another difference!" Yugi suddenly pointed out. "Your undershirt is black, ours are light blue, Ryou and Bakura's are grey, Mokuba's is purple, Duke and Tris'… well currently they're not wearing those either-"

"Dammit…" Yami muttered as he glanced over to see the two reenacting Mokuba's dare.

"-so come on Joey! Lighten up! It's just clothes! And anyway, look how nice Serenity looks."

Glancing over, the trio watched as Serenity, in her gorgeous floor length forest green dress, hug Tea who was in pink.

"You're right, she is gorgeous," he replied, smiling. He was about to continue talking when suddenly the front door burst open and Bakura came flying out, followed by Seto who was holding a - dictionary? - above his head.

"YOU WILL PAY DEARLY 'KURY!"

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!"

The two proceeded to sprint down the drive in the direction of the gate, leaving the others to stand there dumbstruck, before Roland suddenly walked out the door, closing it softly behind him. It took him only a minute to usher the others into the car before climbing in and driving down to the end of the drive, only to be met with the sight of Seto beating Bakura up with the dictionary.

"You. Shall. Learn. To. Speak. Proper. English." Seto emphasized each word with a hit of the book, making Bakura cry out, although not enough to beg for mercy. With a sigh, Roland decided to intervene before the others in the limo climbed out and got involved.

"Mr Kaiba, although I hate to be the one to interrupt your… fun… I would like to point out that you are running quite late."

"I'm not late, they're just early," Seto muttered in response before throwing the dictionary at Roland, who dutifully caught it, before grabbing Bakura by the back of his shirt and practically throwing him at the limo. Roland sighed and made his way over to the drivers side before hearing Seto begin to mutter about leaving his jacket behind.

"Here Mr Kaiba," Roland chuckled, leaning in and grabbing the jacket he'd thoughtfully grabbed before and threw it to his boss. Seto gave him a thankful smile before trundling over to the door Bakura had just disappeared in.

Although he froze when he heard laughter radiating from the car.

More specifically, Joeys laughter.

The brunet shuddered slightly at the sound. Last night when he'd gone to bed, he'd stayed awake and all he could hear was that sound, that beautiful sound of Joeys laugh. It had rung in his ears all night until the rest went to bed, and Mokuba had crawled in beside him like he had the past week thanks to nightmares, and as soon as Seto had fallen asleep, that sound continued to ring in his dreams but this time accompanied by Joeys smiling face.

Shaking his head, Seto tried to dispel the thoughts as he moved to the door and slipped in.

Only to mentally groan when he realised he'd slipped into the only spare seat… right across from the blond.

"Nice of you to join us!" Ryou chirped from where he was sitting beside his yami, comforting the dark who was nursing his wounds. Seto rolled his eyes but nodded and closed the door, before then draping his jacket over his lap and looking round the rest of the car, seeing everyone sitting with their dates. Except for Joey, whom was meeting up with Mai at the hotel.

Seto couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy at that thought.

"Hey Seto? Your tie…" Serenity started from were she was sitting beside him before reaching over to readjust her dates outfit. He gave her a small smile which she returned but as soon as she turned away, he quickly loosened it.

"She does it a bit tight right?" Joeys voice suddenly carried over to him and Seto nodded his head in agreement. Joey reclined back on his seat, surveying Seto before shaking his head. "I don't get why you're taking 'Ren as your date and Mokie's taking Tea. Wouldn't it be the other way around normally?" he asked.

"Mokie was to embarrassed to ask 'Ren so he asked Tea instead." Seto smiled fondly at his brother who was, despite his embarrassment, in a intense conversation with Serenity over their… clothes. He couldn't help but wonder if his brother truly was straight. Joeys laugh reached his ears, and he couldn't help but smile at that as well.

"I see Mokie isn't as arrogant as his brother!"

"I resent that!" Seto snapped back, but his eyes showed the humor. Joey grinned at him before he was suddenly awkwardly leaning forward, reaching out and grabbing Setos tie.

"You made it wonky," he explained as he redid it, making Seto blush slightly. "I can't believe you're wearing a cream tie. I made a bet with Yami it'd be blue."

"Sorry to disappoint," Seto chuckled before reaching up and slipping his hand over Joeys, having the intention to move it. Move it he did, but let go he didn't. With his other hand, he reached up and began to turn his tie around, much like one would if their belt twisted in a loop. Joey watched as Seto changed the cream tie to a blue tie, just by flipping it.

"Cocky bastard."

"I won you your bet didn't I?" Seto just replied, allowing Joey to readjust the tie once again. It only then become apparent to him that Joey hadn't let go of his hand either…

"We're heeeerrrreeee!" Mokuba practically sang as the limo slowed to a stop and everyone was flapping to get out, Tea and Serenity starting up their screams of delight again, but with Yugi, Ryou and Mokuba joining in. Without waiting for Roland to open the door, Seto flung it open and jumped out, dragging Joey and his jacket with him as he practically ran for freedom from the excited bunch of nutcases.

"Seto! Seto stop!" Joey laughed and Seto pulled him down towards the front of the limo as everyone else got out.

Doing as he was told, Seto lurched to a stop and gave Joey an apologetic smile as he leaned back against the limo.

"Sorry, just not looking forward to this much," he chuckled, his smile turning into one of doubtfulness as Joey stared at him. But he shouldn't have worried as Joey gave him a bright smile as well and went to raise his hand to brush aside the bangs that had fallen in his face from rushing and tumbling.

Only to see their hands were still entwined with each other.

Their eyes locked simultaneously and Seto gently tugged the blond closer, using his free hand to reach up and brush aside Joeys bangs, revealing those gorgeous chocolate honey eyes that Seto so wanted to just stare at forever. Joey seemed to take in a sudden breath as the back of the brunets hand trailed down the blonds cheek, his fingers brushing over the small pieces of that mop of hair that resisted to being pushed back, before trailing over his lips and cupping his chin.

"Seto…"

The way Joey said his name made a shiver run up Setos spine and he instantly drew the blond even closer to him, so close that each time they breathed their chests touched. He began to lean forward once again to-

"Um guys?"

Both once again sprang apart, their hands ripping out of each others grasps as Mai's familiar voice travelled over to them. Both boys turned to look at her, standing there in a purple dress with a raised eyebrow and a smug smirk on her lips.

"Mai! I was going to come find you!" Joey cried, trying to ignore the blush on his cheeks.

"Didn't look like it…" she began but stopped when Joey stomped forward and dragged her off towards the building, leaving Seto to slump back against the vehicle and rub his palms into his eyes.

"You don't like him, stop it. You're just playing with, and driving him and yourself insane," he began to mumble to himself, repeating the same type of words over and over. Anything to get rid of the idea that he just about, once again snogged Joey bloody Wheeler.

"Dammit Seto. Stop torturing yourself." A small sigh came out of nowhere and Seto pulled his eyes away to see Serenity looking at him sympathetically. "You know you like him, maybe love him-"

"But I didn't. Not before I read that stupid diary," Seto countered, raising an eyebrow in her direction. "How could you want someone who's only just realised that its a small possibility he likes him to date your brother? You do realise it'll just hurt him in the long run."

She gave him a smile before stepping forward and pressing her lips to his cheek in a gentle kiss. "And I'm sure we're all willing to take that risk."

"I just don't know 'Ren."

She gave him another small smile before taking his hand to drag him inside after the others.

In a way he was both sad and happy that he was able to avoid Joey. Sad in the way that he actually missed having that blob of cheer running around, but happy in the sense that he didn't have to worry about not only making an idiot of himself, but of Joey too.

Sighing, he reclined back against the wall he'd made his way to after finally tearing himself away from Serenity by practically throwing her at Yugi, after seeing the desperate look on his cousins face to finally take a break. The lights, girls, Joey and Mokuba were cut out for continuous dancing, but Bakura, Yami and himself weren't. And Duke and Tristan just preferred to snog each others faces off between dancing and lounging around.

"Damn, no need to remind me why I didn't want to come," Bakura muttered as he joined Seto and Yami who were catching their breaths. The other two leant their friend a sympathetic gaze before closing their eyes and relaxing slightly, knowing they only had moments before they'd be abducted again. Bakura rolled his eyes at them but didn't comment, choosing instead to watch as Ryou twirled around with Yugi, grinning madly.

"It's kinda sweet in a way, watching our lights dance," Yami commented, "Our other halves."

Seto stayed silent, not caring to admit that when Yami said that it felt like a slap to the face. He didn't have his other half, not that he couldn't.

"I don't see why you don't go for Joey. We all know he likes you."

Seto snorted, his eyes automatically seeking out the blond dancing with his sister. "But I don't know if I like him."

The others just raised eyebrows.

"I mean past the physical attraction. Thats definitely there," he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "And I'm not sure if its the same about him. I mean honestly, whats to like about me? I'm an insufferable, arrogant, cruel bastard who needs an attitude adjustment."

"About time he said it!"

Yami silenced Bakura with a punch, much like he had the other day before turning to look at Seto, one eyebrow raised. "Seriously? I never knew that you were one to put yourself down Seto."

"I don't. I'm not putting myself down. I like the way I am… well I think so. Its the way I am, and its not going to change. Sure I'm not as bad since you forced me to be friends with the nerd herd, but I'm still me. I just don't see how others…" he trailed off when he saw said others were making their way over to them, their eyes wide as they grinned at them in excitement. Within seconds they were swarmed by excited teens.

"Yami! Yami theres going to be a slow dance in a minute!"

"Oh Bakura! Please come dance!"

"Seto! You'll join in right!"

Almost instantly Duke and Tristan had wandered onto the dance floor, the brunet already claiming Dukes waist with his hands, Yami was being cuddled into as he was pulled away, Bakura was resisting with both tooth and nail as Ryou dragged him off, Mai and Serenity ignored Joey and Seto before grabbing Tea and Mokuba respectively and twirling them out onto the floor.

"Well that sucks. Even Mai wants to dance with a girl rather than me," Joey muttered under his breath as he watched them leave. Seto glanced over as well to see Serenity wink at him before being twirled away by his brother as the music slowed down into a slow song.

He sucked in a deep breath.

"May I have this dance?" he whispered over Joeys shoulder, his breath hitting against the blonds ear and he could feel him shiver.

"R-Really?"

Seto just gave the stunned blond a smile before taking his hand and gently tugging him out into the mass of slow dancers, all swinging softly to the music. Joey was blushing as Seto pulled him into his arms, his hands slipping around Joeys waist as the shy blond reached up and slipped his own around Setos neck, his fingers brushing against the hair at the nape of the brunets neck, and Seto swore that Joey must've felt him shiver. A small smile danced over Joeys face as they made eye contact, their different colored orbs clashing.

A loud wolf-whistled made them jump as Bakura swung Ryou past them, grinning madly and raising his eyebrows multiple times suggestively. "Looks like the Masters claiming his dog!"

"'Kura!"

The white haired duo danced off, Bakura cackling as Ryou hissed at him under his breath, leaving Joey to awkwardly try to hide his face from Seto… by burying his head in the brunets chest.

Seto sighed and had to resist the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose, or smash Bakura over the back of the head with a bloody dictionary, but after contemplating pushing the blond away, Yami's subtle movements made him look up. The tri-coloured duo seemed to be waving their hands around in an - encouraging? - manner that made Seto roll his eyes, until he saw Yami mouth "_kiss him_" at him.

Tearing his eyes away from the duo, Seto gazed down at the mop of blond hair before leaning his head down and burying his face in it, letting out a sigh as he swayed them around.

"S-Seto?"

"Yes Pup?" he replied, smiling at the puzzled and muffled voice. Joey sounded adorable, no matter how much he wanted to deny it.

"W-What are you doing?"

"I thought that considering you're leaning on me, I should get the same privilege."

"O-Oh…"

When he felt the blond about to pull away, he just tightened his arms and pulled him even closer. "Don't want me leaning on you?"

"I thought I was being a nuisance…"

"You've never been a nuisance."

They fell silent, enjoying the music as they swayed together, completely oblivious to the rest of the world and the other teenagers watching them as they danced. It was peaceful, and Seto liked peace. He also liked Joey, so peace and Joey mixed together was match made in heaven.

Plus it gave the brunet time to think.

He let out a mental sigh as he inconspicuously snuggled into the blond mop even more, smiling when he felt Joey nuzzle back into him in response. It felt nice twirling around the dance floor with the blond in his arms, it felt like they were the only people on earth, no matter how corny that sounded. And as he mentally bashed himself for thinking up such a mawkish idea, Seto couldn't help but wonder if this was what he wanted. Did he actually like the blond more than body wise? It felt like it, what with the way his heart leapt into his throat and his hands began to get sweaty with nerves. He didn't know if he liked those feelings, they felt different, but it wasn't like they were uncomfortable. But then again, maybe it was just a reaction to just having someone this close that wasn't his brother? Maybe he was just overreacting? And didn't have any romantic feelings towards Joey?

Drawing the blond even more closer, Seto let out a rough exhale of air but regretted it when he felt the other boy frown.

"Are you alright?"

Oh how Seto hated those words.

"Yeah, just… thinking."

"What about?"

Seto looked down at him, seeing curious eyes peeking up in reply.

"This."

Joey just gave him a smile and snuggled back in, sighing with happiness as Seto swung him around.

It wasn't until the music finished did they speak again, Joey pulling back to gazed up at Seto just as he was glancing down at the blond. Small smiles appeared on their faces as their eyes met and Joey whispered a hushed thank you. Shaking his head as if to ward of the gratitude, Seto leaned forward and ever so gently placed a kiss on his brow.

"No. Thank you," he whispered before pulling away completely, leaving Joey standing there stunned.

The brunet got to the door leading to the hotels garden before the blond seemed to realised what had happened and quickly took chase, bursting out the doors to find Seto and not paying any mind to the fact that the whole crew was following behind him, anxious to see if maybe right now was when it was going to happen. And by 'it', they meant hardcore snogging that left both the brunet and blond participants seeing stars.

"Seto! Seto wait!" Joey cried as he raced up behind said boy, his heart thumping in his chest as Seto turned to look at him. Taking a deep breath, he stopped in front of brunet and tried to meet his slightly intimidating gaze.

Only to melt into a puddle of goo at seeing the innocent confusion in the brunets eyes.

"Joey… I-"

He was cut off as Joey lunged at him, throwing his arms around the brunets neck and dragging the boy into a passionate kiss. Seto gave an uncharacteristic "Mep!" before gasping as Joeys lips were on his, along with also giving the blond the opportunity to gain the upper hand and ravish the brunets mouth as his tongue flew into the cavern, flicking across teeth, rubbing against a tongue and gliding along gums. It took a few moments, but soon Seto was relaxing into the kiss, slipping one had up to cup the blonds cheek while the other grabbed the sleeve of his shirt, tightening the fabric in his hand. He began to fight back eventually as well, his own tongue reaching out to prod, stroke and lick Joeys mouth, making the blond squirm and pull them even tighter than Seto thought possible together. Seto didn't mind though, too busy concentrating on fighting for control as he suddenly grabbed Joeys tongue gently with his teeth and began sucking on it while rubbing his tongue up and down the underside of the muscle. He swore he heard a moan erupt from the blond from the motion, and the way that Joeys fingers began to slide up and down his neck in time with his own ministrations made him want to join in, as well as throw the blond down and ravish the hell out of him whether he was willing, which he was positive Joey was, or not!

After a few more gasps, licks, and sucking, the two finally broke apart, panting heavily as they stared at each other. Joey had smugness rearing in his own honey brown orbs, while Seto seemed to have a stunned, but still innocent confusion in his cerulean blue.

"Whoa…" the blond whispered, leaning his forehead against Seto as he grinned, his bruised and swelled lips stretching slightly as he flashed his teeth and his eyes twinkled. Seto gave a gentle smile back and Joey wanted nothing more than to lean forward and claim those soft, full and ruby red with bruising lips as his own. But just as he was about to, Seto let out a small sigh that left Joey smiling as the brunets breath washed over his face and brushed against his now closed eyelids.

"This didn't help anything…"

The blonds smile was replaced with a frown as he heard those words, his eyes popping open to see a dejected look on Setos face before the brunet pulled away from him, his hands leaving Joeys body and slipping into the pockets of his pants.

"W-What?" the blond managed to reach out and snag Setos sleeve as he stuttered out that one word, confusion and hurt laced through his voice.

Seto just shrugged him off though but still turned to face him, his eyes void of emotion. "I wish you hadn't done that."

Something in Joey snapped.

"Excuse me? _Excuse me? _What the bloody hell do you mean by that!" the blond practically spat as his hands curled into fists by his side. Seto took a wary step back as he saw the hurt and anger on the blonds face.

"I-I don't know how I feel about you Joey…" he managed to stutter out, flinching as the blond took a menacing step forward. God, he hated feeling this intimidated, reminded him too much of Gozaburo.

"Well! I think you must feel a goddamn lot! That kiss was fucking intense! How could you kiss like that with someone you don't _like_?"

Nearby, the rest of the crew were hiding behind a bush, watching as Joey exploded at the poor brunet. Both Bakura and Yami started to rise to their feet to intervene but their hikari's reached up and yanked them down, their eyes clearly saying that they wanted to wait this out, and see what would happen.

"I don't mean that! I like you but I don't know if I… like you… as in like you more than… fuck!" Seto swore as he tried gathering his head around his thoughts, hoping that Joey would be patient as he felt himself starting to crumble under the pressure. Unfortunately, the blond wasn't.

"What? Like me as more than friends? I'm pretty damn sure that friends don't go around fucking snogging the shit out of each other Kaiba!"

"Oh shit…" Yami mumbled, gathering everyones attention, "This isn't good."

"What isn't?" Yugi was quick to question.

"Joey I-"

"No! Answer some goddamn questions for me Kaiba! Are you attracted to me? Do you like my body? Or do you like my personality? Or do you like both? Do you want me Kaiba?" Joey was talking intensely fast, so fast that Seto could barely keep up with what he was saying, making the brunet take a step back as his brain continued to be assaulted. " Do you want to hold my hand? Do you want to kiss me? Do you want to hug me? Do you want to me to throw you down on the ground and ravish you? Do you want to do that to me? Do you want _me_?"

Seto was trembling now, and once again the yamis stood up ripping their hands out of their hikari's grasps as they began to move forward.

"Yami! Stop it!"

"No Yugi. Look at him! Joeys killing him out there!"

"He looks…" Yugi trailed off as he turned his eyes onto the brunet, his mouth dropping open when he saw that Seto appeared to look staunch and strong, but his eyes… his eyes showed that his walls had fallen down. They radiated terror, uncertainty, pain, fear, everything that Seto never was.

"He's about to say something stupid…" Bakura suddenly muttered, exchanging a -concerned?- look with Yami.

"What?"

"Seto… when he gets uncomfortable he-"

"Look Wheeler! I don't fucking know okay! I don't know if I just want to fuck you, or if I want a relationship with you!" Seto suddenly burst. "I don't fucking know! But all I know is that you're just a stupid, fucking worthless mutt! You're a goddamn moron! And honestly? I don't even know why the fuck I would like you."

"-says shit like that…"

Everyone watched in stunned silence as the brunet finally gave a retort to Joeys continuous badgering. They then watched in shocked silence as Joey took two steps forward, and slammed a fist straight into Setos face, sneering as the brunet crashed to the ground.

"Fuck. You. Kaiba."

Seto just looked up at the blond, one hand clutching his cheek as he did so. With a gentle nod, he climbed to his feet and walked away.

Joey wasn't the only one who saw the tears leaking out of cerulean blue eyes.

…

"Seto? Seto open the door!"

Yami and Bakura pushed past Mokuba as the poor boy hammered on said door, desperate to get his brother to open it. Without a fuss, Bakura quickly picked the lock before entering with Yami, giving the raven haired boy a sympathetic look before closing the door in his face. He admittedly felt bad, he knew how much Seto meant to Mokuba, but he and Yami had agreed that they'd needed to talk to Seto by himself.

Quietly, they walked into the large bedroom, squinting because of how dark it was. They both looked simultaneously towards the bed, but were surprised to see it was just as neat and tidy as always, and empty.

"What do you want?"

The small, quiet voice echoed in the dead silence, and made both yamis look towards the window seat, only to see a figure curled up in a ball and looking at them.

"Seto!" Yami cried as he raced towards his cousin, Bakura hot on his heels. But as soon as they were closer to the brunet, he turned away, burying his head in his arms and refusing to look at them.

"Priest?" It was Bakura who called out in concern first, pushing past the stunned Yami to settle down on Setos right. After a moment though, Yami was sitting on his left and reaching out to touch his hand.

It was only when the brunet ripped his hand away from Yami's grasp, and a strangled sound came from the curled up boy did Bakura and Yami really realise something was truly wrong. Of course, they knew he might be extremely hurt, Seto had never taken too rejection well, nor any kind of physical attacks like the punch Joey had thrown thanks to his childhood, but it wasn't like they thought he'd be this bad.

Without a word, Bakura leaned forward and gently, but still firmly, pulled Setos head up to stare at, gasping along with Yami at seeing the state the brunet was in.

"Seto…" they whispered simultaneously as they got a good look at the bloodshot eyes, the glistening tear stains, the runny nose, the small cuts on his lips from what looked like teeth, the way his hair stuck up at every angle, and even the trembling jaw as it seemed to shake with holding back sobs.

"God…"

Without even thinking about his image, or the fact it was so out of character -hell Seto was doing enough out of characterness for them all- Bakura drew the boy closer to him, into a tight hug. Yami reached out and grabbed the brunets hand as well, rubbing his thumb over the back of his it soothingly as he watched Seto snuggle into Bakura.

"Why does it hurt?" they heard Seto ask after a few minutes of comfortable, soothing silence, only broken by the occasional soft sob from Seto. Wiggling closer, Yami placed his other hand on Setos cheek, not caring too much about the sticky tear stains and made his cousin look at him.

"We're sorry Seto. We truly are."

There was another silence, with only Seto and Yami staring at each other before the brunet gave a short nod, and curled back up into Bakura, staring with unseeing eyes at the floor.

…

It came as a shock to Joey when as soon as he entered the living quarters of the Kame Game Shop, he was pulled off into Yugi's room by two very pissed off looking yamis with the small boy only giving him an apologetic look before he was thrown on the bed and the door was slammed shut behind him.

"Just what the hell do you think you're playing at!" Bakura sounded wild, and when Joey wriggled around to look up, he swore that if looks could kill, well even his ancestors would be dying all over again.

"What do you mean?" he finally managed to struggle out, still utterly confused, but desperate to avoid Bakura's glare. He turned his gaze to Yami, only to flinch at seeing an equally hostile look.

"What do we mean? What do we mean? Joey Wheeler! How dare you not know what we mean?" Yami sounded honestly pissed off as he spat out those words, taking a menacing step forward as he did so. "You damn well know what we mean!"

The only thought that came to mind was... Seto...

"If you're here about that obnoxious prick then you can just fuck off and leave me alone! I've had enough of being rejected by him, I don't need you lot crawling up my ass!"

Bakura was suddenly in his face, grabbing his collar and yanking him up so close that his breath was pounding against Joeys face uncomfortably. "You stupid fucking dog. Do you have any idea what you've done to him? He's _hurting_ and all you have to say is fuck off? Some kind of guy you are! I thought you said you fucking loved him!"

"I do!"

"Then why don't you fucking act on it!"

Joey couldn't stand the yami anymore and with a strength he hadn't used since the gang days, he threw the white haired male off him and stormed towards the door, throwing it open and stomping down to glare at Yugi. Before he could even open his mouth to yell at his friend though, he noticed that everyone else was there. A tearful Serenity holding a hysterical Mokuba, a sympathetic Tea sitting with Tristan and Duke, trying to console Ryou as he seemed to stare at Mokuba with lost eyes, and finally Yugi who's own eyes were looking up at him, wide and fearful.

"Oi! Wheeler! Don't you walk away from us!" Yami sounded even angrier as he flew out of the room and surprised everyone by grabbing Joeys collar and pushing him up against the wall. "We haven't finished here!"

"Well I've finished with you lot!" Joey countered, feeling slightly betrayed when no one made a move to help him. "Don't you think I'm hurting too? I got rejected by the guy for fucks sake! Don't you think that I'm also upset? Goddamnit guys! Can't you just leave me alone?"

Yami sighed and pulled away all of a sudden, seemingly defeated, making Bakura frown before stepping forward.

"Wheeler. He didn't reject you."

Joeys head was suddenly lashing up from where it'd been bowed, his eyes wide with anger and pain as they sparkled with unshed tears.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing Bakura! You don't even like the guy!"

Everyone was silent as Bakura seemed to seethe even more. "_WHAT? _Don't like him? Where the fuck have you been for the past _forever_! That stuck up brat thats currently rolling around in a pit of self-loathing is one of the closest things I have to a fucking family! Sure, it may seem like we hate each other, but thats what we all thought of you and him! Then surprise surprise, you end up LOVING EACH OTHER!" The white haired male took a deep breath before making sure to keep eye contact with the stunned blond. "Look Wheeler, I hate you at the moment, and thats an understatement. The only thing stopping me from sending your fucking ass to the Shadow Realm is Seto, and thats because he needs you right now."

"He doesn't-"

"For the love of _Ra_! What the hell does he even see in you!" Bakura was quick to cut off Joeys denial. Everyone seemed to be staring intensely at the two, wondering who would come out on top. "If you love him Joey, if you really did, then you'd know everything! You'd know his flaws, you'd know his strengths! You'd know his past, you'd know most of his future! You'd know everything if you love him as much as you continuously claim you do when he's not around!"

"I do!"

"Then why the hell aren't you there with him now? Why the hell aren't you consoling him? _Why the hell did you put so much pressure on him the other night!_"

The blond was finally stunned into silence as he realised what it was that Bakura was trying to get across to him. Ignoring the few gasps from the others, he sunk down the wall and placed his head on his draw up knees, squeezing his eyes shut as he thought over the confrontation from the other night. He had put too much pressure on Seto, and he knew that while in a situation that he had no experience in, Seto would crack. His defensive mechanisms that had been implanted in him from such a young age would come up and Seto wouldn't be there, only the hard ass Kaiba that'd existed long ago.

"I'm such an idiot…" he whispered, "A complete, fucking idiot."

"Now he admits it!" Bakura cried out in success, before feeling a hand on his shoulder. Yami gave him a stern look, one that was filled with gratitude for finally getting through to Joey, but one that clearly stated it was time for him to back off. That was the good thing about their team work, Bakura would break and Yami would fix.

"Joey…" the ex-pharaoh knelt down in front of said boy as he whispered his name, Yugi joining him for some reason. "Joey, I need to to tell me what you did wrong. It'll be pointless if you think you know, but its the wrong thing."

Joey gave a rough nod before looking up, his eyes red from unshed tears. "I pushed him. Too much. And he reacted in the only way he knew, which was to attempt to push me away." Joeys eyes twinkled as a small sad smile took over his face. "I should've seen it coming, its all my fault. And then punching him… he hasn't been punched by someone he trusts since… since Goza-fucking-Buro." A heavy sigh came out of his mouth. "It was all my fault. I rejected him, not the other way around. I should've been calmer. Instead I pushed him away, and then… then I betrayed him…"

Without even waiting for confirmation, Joey was on his feet, glaring at Bakura and Yami. "If you care about him as much as you say, you'll take me to him."

To everyones relief, the two darks nodded and darted out the door with the blond.

…

Seto raised his head from where it'd been buried in his arms to look around his room, realising just how cold and lonely it was since his friends had left a while ago. He didn't know how long had passed, it didn't feel like much, but he knew that rooms didn't go this quiet and empty in just a few minutes. His gaze flickered over to glance at the clock in the corner of his room, stunned to see it was late afternoon, evening really.

He wondered how Mokuba was? He hadn't seen the boy in the past couple of… days…

The thought made the brunet surge to his feet, dart towards the door and almost tear it off its hinges. How could he? How could he wallow in his own self-pity while he had a kid brother to look after! He began to mentally bash himself in the head as he walked down to Mokuba's room, listening intensely to see if there were any noises coming from it.

"Mokuba…?" he whispered as he cracked open the door, poking his head in and fighting past the haze draped over his eyes, from all the previous crying, to try and find his brother. The only sight that met him was an empty room, a not slept in bed and no trace of Mokuba.

The door slammed shut as he turned and sprinted back down the hallway and down the stairs, calling Mokuba's name frantically at the top of his lungs. He checked the kitchen, the dining room, the lounge, the games room, before coming to a halt in the entrance hall where he saw a piece of paper lying on the table besides the key bowl, his name scrawled on it in Mokuba's messy writing. With a trembling hand, he reached out and picked it up.

_Hey Seto! Just thought I'd leave this here telling you I've gone to Yugi's for a couple of days. Just to give you some space okay? You seem to just want to be alone so I'll get out of your hair so you don't have to worry too much about me. I'll come over in a few days and see if you're ready for me to come back home? If not, I'm sure Yugi won't mind me living with him for a bit._

_Love ya lots!_

_Mokuba_

Seto dropped the letter instantly, his heart rate soaring up as he watched it hit the ground with a silent crash. He could almost feel his world coming down around him as he stared at that single piece of paper, tears surging down his face once again, his trembling hands refusing to move to wipe them away as they obscured his view.

Mokuba was… gone…

The brunet felt his legs give out underneath him, sending him crashing to the floor, along with the rest of his barely held together reality. He'd lost his brother, he'd lost Joey, he'd lost his friends… al because of his stupid, idiotic selfishness! It was all his fault that they left him! He was just pulling them down, tearing them apart, hurting them more than he would if he'd just let them go in the first place instead of sinking his claws into them and dragging them with him into his ridiculous life.

He knew he shouldn't, he knew it was stupid, but even the smartest and sensible part of his brain couldn't stop him as he straddled his motorbike and tore out of the Kaiba Mansion grounds.

Leaving him unable to see the car pull up ten minutes later.

…

It took them a few moments to realise that Seto wasn't home. Not that the door hanging wide open and the obvious tires marks on the driveway gave any indication. The three males, Joey, Yami and Bakura, had forced their way inside and called out for the brunet, searching every corner of the mansion after not finding him in his room, before all of them found the letter lying in the front entrance.

"I can't believe Mokuba would do that to him…" Joey whispered, reading the letter over and over while the two darks groaned and clutched their head.

"We specifically told him not to write a letter like this when we took him back to mine," Yami muttered, pulling the letter out of Joeys hand and rereading it as well. "Of course this would have set Seto over the edge. He would've thought he's lost his brother for good."

"I oughta punch that kid…" Bakura was letting out a steady stream of curses and threats as he stood up and began pacing, the fury evident on his face. Yami sighed and stood up with him, but walked over to the key bowl instead and began ruffling through it.

"Calm down 'Kura. Hopefully he's taken one of his own cars."

It took a few painfully long moments before Yami let out a cry of success, grinning as he turned to face them and inform them that Seto had taken his motorbike, considering it was the only set of keys not there. Bakura just nodded his head and grabbed Joeys wrist, tugging him outside and throwing him in the backseat of his car while Yami followed at a slower pace after them. Once they were settled in, and had silenced Joey, they were speeding off.

"How do you know where he went?" Joey called out over the sound of the blasting radio that Bakura refused point blank to ever turn off, considering Ryou would change it if he did. Yami wriggled round in the front seat to look at the blond, one eyebrow raised.

"Because, if you really get to know Seto, then he's bloody predictable. He only ever takes his motorbike if he's in the mood for risks, heavy risks, so he'll normally go out towards the mountains. Hopefully he'll go to one of the lookout points like normal."

"But if he didn't want to be found, then he wouldn't go to one would he?"

"Thats the thing. I don't Seto thinks we want to find him. I think he's convinced himself we've all left him." Yami suddenly flashed him a humorless smile. "Guess you better start practicing your speech, because he's not going to be easy to convince."

Joey chuckled just as solemnly as Yami's smile. "He can be stubborn."

The rest of the trip was in silence, well as much silence as there could be, what with Bakura screaming his music out of the speakers. Both Yami and Bakura were desperately staring out the sides of the car as they race through the Domino mountain roads while Joey sat in deep thought in the back, his eyes slightly glaze over and his eyebrows pulled into a tight frown. Thankfully, it wasn't long until they'd reached the lookout that Seto supposedly favored the most and all three were flying out the door.

"Thats his bike." It was a statement, not a question that Bakura uttered as he walked over to the vehicle, the others in tow. After a quick run over with both hands and eyes, the white haired male nodded in Yamis direction.

"Look Joey, go find him. He should be just down that path. Convince him to come back." Yami's crimson eyes bore into Joey, the seriousness of the situation evident in them. "Its up to you."

Without taking another moment, Joey took off down the path, his eyes narrowing as they darted around in their search for a familiar brunet.

As he ran, Joey couldn't help but admire the place. He ran down a long dirt path, that was sometimes steep in going down the mountain, and on either side where thousands of trees. It reminded him so much of bush walks, and he couldn't help but think that if there was ever a place he needed to go, to escape from anything and everything, this would most definitely be a possible place. He smiled as he narrowly avoided tripping over a tree root that had placed itself right over the path, finding it odd that even though he was desperately searching for a man who thought he was alone in the world, there were still small problems like tripping over roots that got in the way.

Eventually, the dirt path began to widen, making Joey slow down as he approached the balcony that served as a lookout off of the mountain. He didn't even have to look for Seto, seeing him standing right in the middle and leaning against the rails of the lookout. It took a moment for Joey to realise that the brunet was staring at the sunset, and it came as a surprise to see that he'd been running for that long. He hadn't realised the path was a long one.

His mouth opened, determined to say that one name, but it froze on the tip of his tongue when he saw Seto turn to look at him.

Setos eyes were hurt, confused, welling up with unshed tears despite the icy feel those blue orbs had. The light of the sun made those old tear streaks on his face glisten like diamonds, his cheeks blotchy with flushed and pale spots underneath those sticky trails. His hair was everywhere, a complete mess that framed his face with an odd kind of delicacy that didn't really seem to suit the situation. The simple jacket, pants and shoes he wore where odd for the usually fashionable Seto, and they hung off his body as if they held no life, as if the one they were on held no life.

Joey couldn't determine if he'd ever seen Seto look so beautiful and horrible at the same time before.

"Seto…"

"Go away."

It stunned the blond even more to hear the cracked voice, the way it seemed to have to force out those words, the way they held no emotion besides pain. It made him tremble slightly before he stepped forward, the determination he knew he needed to have starting to kick in.

"No."

The brunet just stared at him for another long moment before he turned back out to look over the city twinkling below, at the foot of the hills. It looked so small from where they were, so tiny and fragile. Joey couldn't help but compare Seto to it at that moment, the usual stoic brunet now a fragile doll.

He moved forward, choosing to stand close too, but far enough away from the brunet, his heart hammering in his chest as he thought over what to say. All ideas he'd gathered in the car had gone now, disappeared with the sudden realization that this was it. This was where it was all going to happen. Whether things would be broken or fixed.

"What do you want?"

Joey fought back the urge to gather the brunet in his arms as he heard _that _voice again, the voice that cut him to the quick, and tore his heart with every breath. He subtly made his way closer and turned his head as his eyes met Setos.

"I want you."

'That hadn't meant to come out like that!' was the only thought rushing through the blushing blonds head as he thought of the not so subtle innuendo. He couldn't help but hope that Seto wouldn't pick up on it, and was rewarded when he didn't. Not that he preferred the response he got though.

"No you don't." Seto let out a short bark of pained laughter before turning his watery eyes to Joey. "No you don't at all. I'm not right for you, and you know that now. Thats why you told me to fuck off, thats why you punched me. Because you finally realised that there are better people out there."

"But theres only one of you!"

"Which is a good thing. Or else everyone would be in pain." Blue eyes flickered with even more pain then Joey thought possible before hardening. "No one should have to live with someone like me. Even Mokuba's finally realised that."

"Mokuba-"

"Has left me! Gone! To see Yugi. Because he knows that he'll get the loving family there. What did I do for the past few days Wheeler? I sat in my room like some idiot and moped. I didn't think about my brother, I didn't think about Yami or Bakura, I didn't think about Yugi or Ryou, I didn't think about the others…" Joey jumped as Setos fist slammed into the wood, making it shudder. "I thought about myself. I thought about you. I thought about all selfish things!"

Joey felt chills run up his spine as the brunet suddenly shouted the last part before crumpling in on himself, wrapping his arms around his waist as he bent over and furiously tried to catch his breath. Those blue eyes were squeezed tightly shut now, seeming to try force back whatever was trying to come out.

"I thought over that scene after our dance over and over again. I went over every course of action I should've taken, I thought of every word I could've spoken, but I realized that no matter what, you were going to walk away. No matter what I said or did, no matter what, you would still just walk away, Because you didn't want me as much as I wanted you." Joey jumped when he heard a choked sob. "It hurt so much…"

The blond was so glad he'd moved close, close enough to catch Seto as he fell to the ground, sobs wracking his body as he cried. Without a word, Joey let instinct take over as he sat down with his knees draw half up to his chest, puffing out the hoodie he was wearing to make it more comfortable before pulling Seto towards him. Quietly, he settled the brunets head on his chest, allowing his chin to rest on top of that mop of brown hair while arranging them so that Setos back was pressed firmly up against the side of his shin while watching as Seto curled his legs up. With a small sigh, the blonds hands trailed around so one of his arms was there for Seto to bury his face into as his wrist gently hung off the brunets shoulder, hand smoothing the jacket while the other reached up and began to softly stroke the chestnut locks.

"Its okay Seto… its okay…"

"N-No its not!" the brunet sobbed hysterically, his hands coming up to clench around Joeys upper arm and just under his elbow as he sobbed into it, his chin fitting into the crook of Joeys elbow. "Its just not…"

The blond began to gently rock them, effectively silencing the brunets words as Seto cried into him. Every word that Seto spoke, was like a knife to Joeys chest. It just showed him how much his rejection actually hurt Seto, how much of a state he was in due to him being such an idiot and not realizing what he was doing to the brunet with each word.

It took a while, but when Seto finally quietened down that little bit, Joey tangled his fingers in his chestnut locks, and pulled his head back gently so that it joined Setos back in resting against his leg. Honey brown eyes clashed with Setos red blue ones, and Joey instantly felt the need to make Seto see that he, Joey, was in the wrong.

"Seto-"

"You don't need to say anything. I understand." Setos voice was barely audible and confused Joey until he felt the brunet attempt to get up. Of course. Seto thought he was about to reprimand him for touching him, _crying _on him. He quickly tightened his grip and forced Seto to lock eyes with him again.

"Shut up, just for a minute, shut up and listen." Joey knew that he was starting off harsh, but those words did make Seto freeze. "I was wrong Seto, not you. I was so wound up the other night I didn't see what was right in front of me."

"But-"

"I said shut up!" Joey suddenly shoved his face right up close to Setos, his eyes burning with an unnatural fire. "I didn't see that you _were_ saying you loved me Seto. You've always been a man of action, not words. At first when you kissed me like… like _that _I thought that you loved me as much as I loved you. I thought that the kiss was your way of getting it out, and I was _right_. But when you pulled away and said that it didn't help anything, it crushed me inside. I was too angry to realise that you were confused, that you had no idea if what you felt in that kiss was love, because you've never known what love feels like! I forgot about it all, I forgot that you've never had experience in that type of situation! And then I began to badger you. I just wanted answers, and I didn't see you start to get scared, that you were starting to get uncomfortable, so when you cracked and said those words, I thought that you truly meant them. I felt so hurt."

Joey took a deep breath as he saw Setos watery eyes, and he saw the brunet open his mouth to reply. Quickly, before Seto could speak though, Joey plowed on.

"But now I realise, you were just confused. You do love me like I love you, but you just don't understand. I think you think that its just a physical attraction you hold for me, but it can't be. It won't be." After seeing the small hint of doubt in those blue eyes, Joey knew he needed to explore the possibility of 'what if it is just physical?'. Stupid Seto and his logic. "And even if it is physical attraction Seto, how else do you think most relationships start? Because you like what you see. And I can help you if you're scared. A relationship is nothing more than a friendship with benefits. And we're already friends."

"Joey…"

"No Seto. I will understand if you can't forgive me. I know I crossed the line the other night with pushing you into that tight corner, forcing you to fall into your defensive mode and causing you all this grief. I know I especially crossed the line with punching you, because I don't doubt that I brought back memories of Goza-fucking-Buro. I hate myself so much to know that my rejecting you lead you to be like this Seto. And I'm so so sorry, but I still will understand if you blame me, hate me, never want anything to do with me ever again. But I just want you to know, I take full responsibility and…" A small smile suddenly ventured onto Joeys face. "And no matter what you say, I will honestly love you. Forever."

And with that, the blond secured his lips against the brunets.

Setos blue eyes widened comically for a moment as he felt Joey kiss him, slowly moving his lips across Setos in a sensual pattern. Honey brown eyes stared back before both boys let their eyelids droop close as Joey used the hand on the back of Setos head to pull him even closer. Instead of trying to dominate this time, Seto slowly allowed Joey to take control, gasping as Joeys tongue flicked against his lips before barreling in, determined to taste everything inside of Setos mouth. The brunets hands tightened on Joeys arm, meaning that Joey could only use the one hand to encourage the kiss but the way his tongue flew around Setos mouth, stroking and licking everything it came across was enough to make Seto never _ever _want this to stop. After a few moments, Joey finally managed to coax Seto into using his tongue, mashing their lips even closer together as Seto gently trailed his pink muscle across the roof of Joeys mouth… but Joey didn't seem to have the patience for a delightfully gentle kiss, and with a tug of his hand he pulled Setos head back even more to give him even more room to ravish the brunets mouth.

Multiple licks, sucks and nips later, Joey pulled away panting for breath as he stared down at the now swollen lip brunet, also panting lightly as his big blue eyes stared up at Joey innocently. The blond offered him a bright smile, his own eyes dancing with happiness, despite the feeling of uncertainty growing inside him.

But he didn't have to worry as Seto leaned up and place a gentle kiss on Joeys cheek before snuggling back into his chest and arm, another small set of tears starting up as he closed his eyes.

And Joey wasn't worried as he stroked the chestnut locks, his own eyes closing as that bright smile shrunk to a smaller, more content one. Because Seto was a man of action, and Joey knew that he'd forgiven him, that he loved him, and that everything was going to be okay

* * *

**I'm not to happy with this one. The start seems retarded, and the end seems rushed to me. But I dunno, what do you think? **

**This was also supposed to be a two-shot or three-shot or whatever, but I think leaving it as a one shot it good enough. And no sorry, there will not be a sequel. Not unless I get some mad inspiration, this was hard enough to force pass my stupid writers block XD**

**And sorry about the OOC Seto. Like extreme OOC. I don't know why, but I like a vulnerable Seto. Its just adorable. As well as the Bakura/Yami/Seto friendship. Always loved that the most. I also like Marik in there as well, but I dunno. The Bronzeshipping boys didn't seem to fit into this too much :/ Tristan and Duke took out their gross, sexual and awesome part in this one.**

**Anyway! Thank you for reading! If you made it this far XD**

**Oh! And also, it is my first time writing kiss scenes like the above, so I was wondering if you might be able to give me an opinion on those? I hope they weren't too intense, or unrealistic or whatever? That'd be a HUGE help!**


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